Yep, left the R out. The Mac example referred to PRAM which can be reset/reloaded. I'm also familiar with devices - like you've noted - that can restore the "non-volitile" RAM. I have no clue if such devices are built into modern cameras.
haidoz wrote:
I was on the very exact same condition as you are my friend, I've done all suggested solution on the net, they did not solved me anything with the AF issue.
I have one solution, which is worked for me nicely though : Sell the darn thing and replace it with a 5DII. Problem solved. I have a good sleep every nights now
I have already posted it on Facebook to friends and associates.
Either I wait for the 5D Mark III/X or shift to Nikon with the D800.
I also had focusing issues with my 7d. I tried the "hard reset" without any success. I contacted Canon and was told to send it in as it was still under warranty. They performed "af adjustments" and it came back working as it should.
One more thing to add to the mix, firmware is software, and software is written by humans. Introduce one little memory leak somewhere in that code, and it could corrupt stored values, etc. I could see how this could reset things to a proper factory base configuration. Technology through the years has worked on this principle, from Dr Watson screens in Windows to car OBDII computers, etc. The basic answer is invariably "do a hard reset", by unplugging a computer, and turning it, to pulling the car battery, etc.
I have to reset 2 fuses on my 2010 Camaro periodically to reset it back to the high octane fuel tables, so a camera reset doesn't seem so far fetched to me.
TeamSpeed wrote:
One more thing to add to the mix, firmware is software...
No, firmware is firmware, and software is software. They may both be computer code, programs, or whatever other terminology you want to use, but there are differences in how/where they are stored/accessed and operated.
BrianO wrote:
No, firmware is firmware, and software is software. They may both be computer code, programs, or whatever other terminology you want to use, but there are differences in how/where they are stored/accessed and operated.
Ok I guess my 20+ years in this field must be all a farce. You just admitted that they are both software (programs, code, etc), which somebody writes and therefore could have bugs. We might as well just ignore the release notes too about the bugs that are fixed each time. My comment said nothing about the platforms that is running this code, but about the compiled code that is executing.
p.3 #10 · 7D AF issues...in case you haven't heard
In regards to DSLRs, firmware is basically compiled software running on the DLSR hardware. You cannot change the software without reflashing either the same image (current firmware version) or a new image (new firmware version).
Here is a good statement that might help you.
Firmware is software that is semi-permanently placed in hardware. It does not disappear when hardware is powered off, and is often changed by special installation processes or with administration tools. The memory firmware uses is very fast — making it ideal for controlling hardware where performance is important.
This software could have bugs, that overwrite values in user-modifiable flash memory, or even under the covers in restricted flash memory, etc.
Resetting the camera via a hard reset allows everything to go back to its original flashed state, or you could try to reflash the same firmware, which should do the same thing.
p.3 #11 · 7D AF issues...in case you haven't heard
I wouldn't argue semantics, or even blame Canon if this problem happens only with third party lenses. When you have third party lenses (ie. Sigma) that weren't designed from the spec but instead reverse engineered the format, then this can be just as problematic. Canon probably built the EOS system and protocols assuming that the lenses understood all the fine points of the protocol (ie. not having he host double-check that every index is within bounds), so maybe when you get a third-party lens that doesn't understand the fine points of the protocol (ie. what the valid range of an index is), that is when things start to break. Something that seems relatively simple or straightforward to the user, like auto-focussing a lens, can actually be quite complex and involve a lot of fine and proper communication between the host device and the lens.
Also when you talk about release notes, I think anyone in the industry whose worked at a handful of companies realizes that many companies have two versions, the public one avoids mentioning the truly embarrassing bugs that were fixed completely, or at least rephrases it to make it sound like enhancements.
And teamspeed the second paragraph of your above post -- not true -- for instance flash memory is not reset by a hard reset (unless the firmware is doing something weird like clearing all flash upon coming out of a hard reset). The only thing a hard reset naturally does is reset all the volatile states, realtime clock, local RAM, cache, processor registers, sleep mode (I described this in an earlier post), battery backup RAM, and so on. While simply 'turning the camera off' by flipping the switch to the off position does not do all these things.
Your general sentiment is correct, firmware can be buggy, but honestly Canon has done a pretty decent job with firmware, all things considered. And you can read up on the finer points of all these different memories (ie. flash) online if you do not believe me.
p.3 #12 · 7D AF issues...in case you haven't heard
Just to clarify - are you all saying that the 7D AF problems arise only when you use third party lenses? If you use only Canon lenses, do you still get these problems on your 7D?
p.3 #13 · 7D AF issues...in case you haven't heard
Look at the original post, the problem apparently manifested sometime after a third party lens had been used.
Not all third party lenses are reverse engineered, but Sigmas are. I think Tamron, Tokina, and a few others buy or license the spec from Canon. Occasionally Sigmas are not compatible with Canon's newer cameras and have to be 're-chipped' in order to work with the latest, since there is no way to update the firmware on a sigma lens. Some of the newer systems like micro four thirds do allow lens firmware updates through the camera, but not canon's EOS, to our knowledge.
No one can say these things for certain, they're more educated guesses as to what may be happening and why a power-off-reset apparently fixes the problem.
p.3 #14 · 7D AF issues...in case you haven't heard
Chumma wrote:
Just to clarify - are you all saying that the 7D AF problems arise only when you use third party lenses? If you use only Canon lenses, do you still get these problems on your 7D?
My problems with single-shot AF with two 7Ds were with Canon L lenses.
p.3 #15 · 7D AF issues...in case you haven't heard
I don't remember seeing other threads on FM that talked about 7D AF problems (probably I wasn't looking enough). There were several postings praising 7D AF and complaining about 5D II AF.
p.3 #16 · 7D AF issues...in case you haven't heard
For the last 2 years I have been reading about the focusing issues on the 7D. For the last 2 years I have been trying to find those issue on my 7D. Try as I might, I can't get it to have the issues that people talk about
